NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A commercial ship sank and its crew disappeared Tuesday after an apparent coordinated air and sea drone attack off the coast of NATO member Bulgaria, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia before warning that Moscow was preparing a wider “massive strike.”
A second ship was also heavily damaged and set on fire inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, with a drone expert warning that the double-precision strikes signaled a dangerous escalation and possible “wider invasion posture” by Russia.
“They were probably using the Geran-4 aerial drone to take the ship out or the Maran surface vehicle to take it out,” Cameron Chell, founder of drone maker Draganfly, told Fox News Digital about the first strike on Tuesday.
Russia could use hidden lunchbox-sized drones to counter Ukraine defenses, expert says
The twin attacks occurred about 70 nautical miles from the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria, according to Reuters, bringing the conflict into a NATO member’s economic zone. (TPX IMAGES Reuters/Petko Momchilov)
“The reason it wasn’t just an aerial vehicle or aerial drone that destroyed this ship is because the Gerans usually come in at a pretty steep angle when they launch the final attack,” Chell said.
“There aren’t really any precision drones flying close to the surface, where they would have to hit to create an impact that would sink this ship quickly enough,” he added.
“The nature of this strike suggests that there was a combination of air attack and surface attack,” Chell said.
The twin attacks occurred about 70 nautical miles from the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria, according to Reuters, bringing the conflict into a NATO member’s economic zone.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s intelligence and security services were working to determine all the circumstances surrounding the attack.
US ALLIES MUST shoot down Russian planes testing NATO borders, Czech president warns
“Our intelligence and special services are currently working to establish all available information on yet another attack in the Black Sea targeting civilian ships,” he wrote on X.
“Our navy contacted its counterparts in Bulgaria and it was established that this was a combined Russian attack using maritime and aerial drones.”
Chell suggested that the location of the attack and its hybrid nature could serve Russia by sowing greater uncertainty in the region.
“We can see the scale of geopolitical chaos involved, and this is exactly the kind of thing that would benefit Russia in the region,” Chell said.
“The hybrid element here really blurs the lines between traditional military actions,” he added, describing the attack as “an expansion of strategy and tactics.”
“This is indicative of this broader invasion strategy that seems to be unfolding for Russia,” Chell said. “And a real desire, it seems, on the part of Russia to move to another level.”
RUSSIA’S SHADOW WAR PUTS EUROPE ON EDGE AS GERMANY FACES GROWING THREAT
In this photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Moscow, September 5, 2026. (Gavriil GRIGOROV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev also confirmed that aerial and maritime drones had targeted two commercial vessels in shipping lanes inside Bulgaria’s EEZ, calling the attack a “blatant and blatant violation of international law,” according to Reuters.
The sunken ship, identified by British maritime risk management group Vanguard as the cargo ship Alfa Watan, suffered catastrophic structural damage before sinking with undisclosed cargo and an unknown number of crew on board.
A nearby Bulgarian ferry, the Dioscuria, diverted to the scene after witnessing an explosion and receiving distress signals, Reuters reported.
Rescuers found an overturned lifeboat, life rafts and life jackets floating in the debris field.
Russia prepares hybrid attacks on NATO’s eastern flank, intelligence services warn
The sunken ship, identified by British maritime risk management group Vanguard as the cargo ship Alfa Watan, suffered catastrophic structural damage before sinking with undisclosed cargo and an unknown number of crew on board. (YORUK ISIK/handout via REUTERS)
Search and rescue operations involving the Bulgarian Navy, Air Force and Border Police continue to locate the missing crew and monitor environmental threats, the media outlet said.
Chell suggested that the apparent coordination between the attacks was particularly significant.
“Not only are you using some pretty sophisticated equipment, but you’re also doing it in a coordinated way,” Chell said.
“These two ships were going in opposite directions. One of them had just arrived and left Ukraine the day before,” he said.
“These things coordinated and were hit at relatively the same time. So there was another level of coordination going on here,” Chell added.
UKRAINE DELIVERS BLACK SEA FLEET’S ‘LAST MAJOR FORTRESS’ AS PUTIN EXPOSES NAVAL POWER IN THE PACIFIC
The second vessel, identified by Vanguard as the general cargo ship ABLE, caught fire after being struck while carrying grain. (Tony Hogwood/handout via REUTERS)
The second vessel, identified by Vanguard as the general cargo ship ABLE, caught fire after being struck while carrying grain.
A Bulgarian ferry crew evacuated all 18 sailors on board – 11 Turkish nationals and seven Indian nationals.
Two crew members were seriously injured and were airlifted to a medical center in Varna, while the remaining 16 were transported safely to shore.
Radev called an emergency government session following the strikes. While acknowledging that it remains unclear whether the drones came from Russia or Ukraine, he warned of the growing scale of the war.
“Such an attack within the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone is absolutely unacceptable,” Radev told reporters.
Report warns Russia against using ghost fleet to probe NATO drone defenses
Search and rescue operations involving the Bulgarian Navy, Air Force and Border Police continue to locate the missing crew and monitor environmental threats, the media outlet said. (TPX IMAGES Reuters/Petko Momchilov)
“If this war does not end in time, it will continue to expand its spatial reach and increase the risk of even global conflict.”
Chell said hitting the two ships inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone could also have the effect of disrupting a crucial shipping corridor and sparking fear among commercial operators.
“This all adds up to a perfect little scenario that the Russians would create chaos there, not just to disrupt the course of the economy of the region and especially Ukraine – a lifeline,” Chell said.
“The Russians are really taking their cues from the Iranians who have created enough chaos in the Strait of Hormuz that operators can’t take the opportunity to get their ships through there,” he added.
The strikes come amid a surge in attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, including an incident Monday off the Romanian coast in which two people died in a ship fire.
Ambrey, a British firm specializing in global maritime risks, recorded more than 210 collisions on commercial vessels between July and the end of September.
UKRAINE LAUNCHES APPEARS TO BE ONE OF ITS BIGGEST DRONE ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIA: REPORT
The small ground devices are part of an expanding “mesh” network that allows Russian drones and repeaters to relay encrypted signals over multiple connections, making the drones much harder to disrupt. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP via Getty Images)
Zelensky later warned that Ukrainian intelligence had obtained information indicating that Russia was preparing a major new attack.
“We have updated information about Russia’s preparations for a massive strike,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “I ask you to please take care of yourself and respond to missile threat alerts.”
“Ukrainian services and our Air Force are ready to respond, to the extent that our defenses allow,” Zelensky continued. “And a lot depends on our partners, on every country in the world that has the defensive capabilities we need and can provide them to us.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“It is very important that there is political will to achieve this, particularly in the United States and Europe,” he added.
Gn world
